Cleats are well known expedients for securing and tying down objects. Prior art cleats come in a variety of sizes and configurations and range from simple to complex. A search conducted by applicant located four patents which are representative of the prior art. The four patents are U.S. Pat. No. 2,962,998, issued to Long, U.S. Pat. No. 3,715,782, issued to Newell, U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,793, issued to Brockelsby, and U.S. Design Pat. No. 257,421 issued to Cox.
The arrangements disclosed in the above-identified patents carry out the same function; in particular, they are devices fixed in position and providing means for retaining a line at said fixed position.